A stuffing machine as described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,390 includes a support sleeve which is slidably disposed about the stuffing horn of the machine. The structure and function of the sleeve are well known and reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,390 for a more detailed description thereof. For purposes of the present invention, it is sufficient to say that the sleeve as described in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,390 is intended to be a permanent structural element of the stuffing machine. The sleeve is disposed around the stuffing horn and has one end attached to a mechanism for moving the sleeve longitudinally along the horn.
In use, a shirred casing stick, which has a bore diameter larger than the outside diameter of the sleeve, is positioned on the sleeve so the fore end of the sleeve extends through the bore of the shirred stick. A casing sizing means is then detachably secured to the fore end of the sleeve. Since the sizing means is attached to the sleeve, movement of the sleeve along the horn will move the sizing means. As is known in the art, such movement of the sizing means may be used to provide the slack casing as may be needed for gathering and closing about the ends of the stuffed product or to control the diameter of the stuffed product. As disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 30,390, slack casing is provided by moving the sleeve in short quick strokes back and forth along the horn, and stuffed diameter is controlled by adjusting the space between the sizing means and an external casing contacting member.
In certain recent food stuffing systems, the shirred casing stick and a sizing means or disk have been placed on a disposable sleeve by the casing manufacturer. The disposable sleeve with its sizing means and supply of shirred casing are attached to the stuffing machine and then, after the casing supply on the sleeve is exhausted, the sleeve is removed and discarded.
One advantage of having the casing manufacturer place shirred casing on a disposable sleeve equipped with a sizing means is that the user can be supplied with a greater length of casing than if a permanently mounted sleeve is used. This is because with a permanent sleeve, the bore of the shirred casing must be large enough to easily slide over the sleeve. However, when the shirred casing is placed on a disposable sleeve by the casing manufacturer, the clearance between the shirred casing and the sleeve is reduced or eliminated entirely. Thus, the clearance space otherwise needed for the shirred stick to slip onto a permanent sleeve of the stuffing machine is occupied instead by some quantity of shirred casing.
When a disposable sleeve is used, the stuffing machine must be equipped with means for releasably connecting the disposable sleeve to the stuffing machine. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,521,938 and 4,570,292 disclose disposable sleeves equipped with various configurations of male or female connector elements for joining to a mating connector on the stuffing machine.
The combined weight of a commercially employed casing article comprising the shirred casing and disposable sleeve may be in excess of ten pounds. Also, the pulling force of the casing passing over the sizing means can be sixty pounds or more. Accordingly, the connection holding the disposable sleeve to the stuffing machine must be strong enough to prevent a premature separation during use as the casing passes over the sizing means during stuffing, and as the casing article is moved in short quick strokes to provide slack casing. On the other hand, the connection must be made and separated quickly and easily so that an operator can connect or disconnect the sleeve at will. For example, a minimum time period should be taken to remove a disposable sleeve after the casing supply is spent and to replace it with a new sleeve containing a full supply of shirred casing.
In the present invention the stuffing machine is provided with a clamp that is operable to attach quickly and easily to an end of the disposable sleeve of the casing article. In particular, the clamp of the present invention has a plurality of radially movable elements disposed in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the stuffing horn. In one embodiment of the invention there is a snap fit engagement between the disposable sleeve and the clamp. When the operator desires to release the sleeve, the radially movable elements are pressed inwardly against the sleeve to force the sleeve from its snap fit engagement with the clamp.
In another embodiment the radially movable elements press inwardly and clamp against the sleeve to hold the sleeve to the stuffing machine. Moving the elements outwardly and away from the sleeve releases it from the clamp.